It's almost impossible to comprehend......

I could see this situation being feasible if the students were H.S., but Jesus!, second-graders????????

And how did he get away with this after the FIRST incident?? No one went home and told Mom and Dad all about it??? Or at the water cooler, or RECESS?

Assuming this is true (one never knows with MSM these days), this is a disgusting and vile situation. I only hope this is not true........if so, our society needs an enema.......

Another throughly written news article headlined by MSNBC.

Well done.

I'm with you.

My only other thought is that maybe this is the new sex education they are teaching. Darn it, I was born way too soon.

It's California. The only thing suprising is they suspended the teacher. What do you want to bet the union gets her a raise?

Ben, the first thing ANY school system would do is suspend the faculty member right away. That's prudent and fully expected. THEN the investigation begins and the chips fall where they may.

romilio..... And Brown and Boxer and Pelosi and Feinstien and Newsome and all those crooks in Bell,CA....

OAKLAND -- A second-grade teacher has been placed on administrative leave amid an investigation into a report that two of his students engaged in oral sex during class and that, on a separate occasion, some children took off some of their clothing and were clowning around.

The incidents happened last week at Markham Elementary School, but they only came to the principal's attention Wednesday, after one of the students told a staff member what had happened, Oakland school district spokesman Troy Flint said.

The teacher was present at the time, but says he was unaware of any such incident, Flint said.

The district conducted a number of interviews Thursday to verify the child's report. While some of the details remain vague -- such as when the two incidents occurred, and if they happened at the same time, Flint said. "We believe the substance of the story is true," he said.

Counselors have been brought to the school, and a letter went home to families Thursday, Flint said.

"Obviously it's a horrible situation for the kids, and it's a huge embarrassment for the school and for the district," Flint said.

"We are striving to create schools as safe havens where students can feel secure and trust in adult guidance," he added. "Obviously, that trust was violated in this incident, which was unacceptable. We're going to get to the bottom of this and make sure there's no recurrence. "

I sure don't want to believe it. I'm with you. I need more proof. This is

too unreal to me. I hope it is make believe

Denissr- I know, you're right...I may just be a sucker for trolls on this forum. I try not to babble if I can help it, so I'll stop at this point! Take care...

I wanna know how second graders even know what oral sex is? Do their parents watch porn while the kids are around???

Im trying to wrap my brain around a teacher instructing all his students to undress, and none of them told their parents.

Im also trying to wrap my brain around a classroom of kids, watching 2 kids perform oral sex on each other...and none of them told their parents.

In a sick way, im hoping these kids are making this up...but I cant even fathom how sick they'd have to be to make up something like this - and to get other kids to go along with it?

Something just doesnt make sense here.

Wow... thinking it’s a conspiracy are ya’? You’d deny reality lookin’ you in the face.

It was in Oakland for crissakes! Sure it could happen! Count on it!

Jessica- That's exactly how I feel....you made a better point of it than I have. Until we receive updated info, this just doesn't make rational sense. I'm still crossing my fingers hoping all of this was a hoax......sheesh.

cmon- what an idiotic post. Liberals/conservatives both should be appalled at this. Don't try to make this political when it isn't.

imo~yet another story presented to us WAY too early. Very very few people know how to *interview* a small child. They are WAY to easily 'lead' into what YOU want to hear if you don't word questions just right.

Think I'll sum it up in one word..DRAMA !

I doubt the veracity of this story. The article is too brief and contains too little information. I can not imagine any educator, even a secretly perverted educator allowing small children to completely undress, let alone perform sex acts on each other.

I would just like to applaud all of you for jumping right on the bandwagon of blaming bad parenting without full scope of what the truth is. Lets say hypothetically this teacher is a pedophile. Maybe the teacher encouraged it as he was WATCHING!!! Also do you know that schools are teaching programs to K-Gardners now about the proper terms and meaning of genitals? What about the kids exploring something they are being taught in the school system?? They are teaching sex education.

Seriously people. Get the facts first. What we do know is there was a teacher watching two kids in his class performing some kind of sexual act on each other.

Jessica

didn't children accuse witches in Salem? This story does not ring true in my ears.

I mean, the guy would have to be unstrung and the whole class would have to have been comprised of children who haven't been instructed to tell. It might be that he was inept at controlling his class or he neglected supervision, but unless he's a drooling psychopath he would not let this behavior go unattended.

Don't doubt that there is a reason for this story that is untold.

anamerican, you merely infer, you don't know what you assume is true.

No Way. Kids do not just take off their clothes in class, EVER. Much less perform sex acts in front of the rest of the class.

G

Just another day in Oakland. Round up the usual suspects! Wasn't Governor Moonbeam once the mayor? Say no more.

Seriously people. Get the facts first. What we do know is there was a teacher watching two kids in his class performing some kind of sexual act on each other.

Please why don't you get the facts first! The teacher is claiming he was totally unaware of the incident. II've read about 5 different news accounts of this. Wait for the real facts. From what I can tell it was broken by KTVU in Oakland. No other news appears to even have talked to the school. Here is their news

Sexual Incidents At Oakland Elementary Investigated

Denissr: Why are some of us here in msnbc's comment website? Fair and balanced!

If the story has no veracity, then msnbc had no business even carrying it. The dumbing down of journalism, Chapter 999.

I'm with you anamerican-1762295 . My first thought was what if this is some sort of pedophile encouraging these kids to do this. But i'd like to know if there are any other facts? This story is very vague.

And the biggest mistake of the two was Ronnie

Gee I thought the whole nation elected Ronnie not just California. I wonder if some of the posters made it through second grade.

Rob in Warwick NY

ummmmm....I'm sorry, but I absolutely cannot believe this is true, and until I see just a tad bit more information, I'm not buying.

Indeed. Pics or it didn't happen.

I've got to agree. This seems too outlandish to be true - at least we all hope. If it's not then humanity may have just sunk to a new low...

AnAmerican1762295- Please do not confuse sexual education with sexual acts, or the perversion thereof. All of my children were taught (by my wife and I) at an early age the proper anatomical names for every part of the body. To not teach our children the correct terms for their body parts only confuses them and causes them to feel ashamed about their own body.

When my kids were being toilet-trained, we did not use terms like "pee-pee" or "bum-bum". Nope. They have been taught that it is okay to say "penis" or "vagina" or "anus" when discussing their body with us.

Then again, I do not subscribe to an outdated model of puritannical modesty. I am a doctor, and my children will learn about sexuality at appropriate times under our guidance. I have no problems with public schools teaching sex ed, so long as it is done properly, respectfully, and age appropriate.

Maybe I'm just dumb, but is it physically possible at that age?

StevieGee, sorry stevie no it wasn't. It was in one our revered PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Ooops, your biases be showing little boy.

What aren't you buying? That second graders would engage in sex acts? If that's the case then you are willfuly naive. Or that a teacher would watch it? That's difficult, but not impossible to accept. Also, this has nothing to do with teachers' unions or the education profession. This is about one pervert who managed to slip through the cracks. Teachers are under-paid and under-appreciated by society. Everyone loves to talk about how bad of a job teachers are doing, but no one wants to do their jobs. They are give imossible tasks to do, with no resources, no support from parents or administrators, with arbitrary state and federal standards breathing down their necks. The teachers unions provide a bit of help for teachers, but they are not nearly powerful enough. This one pervert needs to be fired and prosecuted, but that is in no way typical of teachers in general.

Either it's not true (which is what I tend to believe) or it was pedophilia. I can see a second-grader being goofy enough to take their clothes off but oral sex is hard to believe. Who reported these incidents? Why would the school issue such a weak apology if it was so serious? There are too many questions unanswered and I have to agree that the media jumped the gun on this one without enough information. That's how innocent lives are ruined.

Waterdog49, D.Man, I think MSNBC is a nom de plume for the Onion.

and now for the lib reply: 1st blame bush, 2nd kids are going to have sex in second grade so let's give them condoms and some porn so they know how, 3rd blame bush.

Well, you can't blame "bush" as second graders have not reached puberty yet and...

Oh, not THAT bush? You mean that total moron we elected President not once, but twice, primary because he mentioned the far right's favorite three words continuously... "Jesus", "Terror" and "Jesus"? (Limited vocabulary, you see.)

Not sure what Chimpy has to do with this, so perhaps you just have a lot of idiot friends who would make that connection...which would make sense given like attracts like.

You are left shaking your head wondering which is worse, the teacher just not caring that two second graders are involved in some 69 on the story time mats OR that two second graders are doing this stuff, in a classroom, while class was in session! In high school I caught a blow job behind the stage of the closed auditorium, but I would never have the balls to try that stunt, especially in the second grade. WTF. You can't raise children like a bunch of feral animals.

This is an area that is legislating happy meals, what do you expect.

Believe it. This is California, home to Barbara Boxer and Nancy Pelosi....at least they were not killing each other. This time. California should build a wall around it's border. To protect the rest of the country.

"Rob in Warwick NY

ummmmm....I'm sorry, but I absolutely cannot believe this is true, and until I see just a tad bit more information, I'm not buying."

This is what happens when you teach "abstinence-only" sex education.

Of course, the biggest clue that this is all made up is the fact that the kids were silent. Sorry, but there is no way this is going to be taking place without a whole lot of commotion going on. You couldn't even get high schoolers to refrain from hooting and hollering during and after something like this.

Gee I thought the whole nation elected Ronnie not just California. I wonder if some of the posters made it through second grade

I stand corrected. It was California who elected him as Governor which put him into a position to run as President. He was elected and shazaam, here we are with the promises and results of trickle down economics.

I have several questions, but what 2nd graders would be expected to know about and how to perform oral sex? The teacher just sat there? I'm finding this far, far too hard to believe unless there is some real concrete proof of this being the actual case.

And if it is, those children should have their parents investigated and probably removed from the home until a thorough investigation is performed.

Jessica- Nowhere in this article did it say the teacher told them to take their clothes off.

From the state that simultaneously elected Gov Moonbeam and defeated legalizing pot, absolutely nothing surprises me in this cesspool of a state.

Reagan was the only sensible act CA has committed in decades, Arnold was a joke (which oddly matches up with the current state of affairs in the golden state) and moonbeam is one confused dude.

I too find the story unbelievable - waiting for Ashton Kutcher to jump out, punking all of us. If not, this foolish teacher will be thoroughly mistreated in jail.

Um...so where's the rest of the article...really? Thats it? Such a serious allegation and it gets just a few sentences.

What the heck is wrong with people, children walking around naked in the classroom and performing oral sex acts!!!!! With the teacher present no less.

Where did these 7-8 yr old kids get these ideas from in the 1st place and not one student thought to mention to their parents and the teacher obviouly saw nothing wrong with it!!! This is absoulutely disgusting and extremely disturbing. These are very young children who have obvioulsy been exposed to things that a youngster should never be exposed to either by their parents, the teacher or other students

But dont parents teach their kids what a "good touch" and a "bad touch" are anymore? If just one parent of the children in this classroom was open and honest with their kids and explained to them that certain kids of touches from anyone (friend, child or adult) are wrong then if this even happened once it certainly would not have happened again. The parents, the school, the tacher and anyone else involved in this should be ashamed of themselves and convicted.

Sick!!!!

This story is really hard to believe. I cannot image any adult allowing this in a classroom and expecting it to not become public knowlegde. It's insane. Now, if it happened in a part of the room the teacher could not see, and the teacher stopped it as soon as it was discovered, it could be a case of the media fishing for a frenzy. If not, someone needs to get shot.

This is Californiawhat do you expect. The state is morally and financially bankrupt!

I could be wrong but did the article not say that the teacher denied seeing any of this. I can believe that kids might disrobe, I can even believe that they might "play doctor" in a classroom full of other children. I find it very hard to believe any teacher would be dumb enough to watch it and not intervene let alone encourage it. I am just not buying it.

StevieGee @ 1.19:

If you had bothered to read the article you would know the answer to you question.

Where did kids learn to do this? Have you seen the video on Tosh.0 of young kids "dancing"? Some looked younger than 2nd grade, and it was obviously an adult filming it.

This is not the first incident of sex in the classroom with a teacher present and not paying attention. It happens.

Jessica, please learn to read - some children do that in SCHOOL! The article does not say that the teacher INSTRUCTED the children to remove their clothes. Neither does the article say that the teacher WATCHED while the children performed sex acts. The headline states that - which, based upon the article, is misleading or completely WRONG! The article only states that he/she was in the room at the time.

Unfortunately, incidents like these are, while uncommon, not unheard of. Children who have learned these behaviors (usually from family members or "close friends") will act out at school. Wait until you have all the facts before you lynch this teacher, please!

I hear you, Rob, but what if it is true? We've got to wonder about a society conducted in such a way that grade schoolers know about oral sex and are acting out.

I believe it about the students. I saw a 5 year old pinning a little girl against the wall and humping her at a headstart program in Phila. years ago. Obviously the teacher didn't notice and I was too shocked as I watched the girl push him off. I assume he saw this at home. Still feel guilty about not running over and talking to the teacher.

why do about a third of you, respond without reading the article ?

Then again, to the rest of us, if our 'leaders' don't listen to us, and do something, why are the rest of us just wasting our breath here ? Sad huh !

I am glad you said it first. This is just extemely shocking, while appearing about too brief for any real conclusions. At first, I thought "What kind of evil teacher is this?" and then I thought, wait, I want better than a short blurb.

Does anyone remember the Martin preschool scandal?Also in California, I believe. After a lot of money and the destruction of many lives, it all came out to be essentially lies...the children were not questioned appropriately and were led to falsely accuse the owners of horrible things. I think we need to wait for the whole story to come out. And to those who would fault the media....who do you think they are trying to serve? They are just giving us what we seem to want....lots of drama, little real knowledge.

To those who would make anything political....get a life. It isn't always about politics and whichever side you are trashing, about 50% of the population disagrees so just stop unless you have a rational point to be made and if that is the case, you don't need to resort to name calling.

I agree with the first post. Parents and adults never cease to amaze me. You all believe that children would never ever lie, right?

My mother works at a school where another teacher was put under investigation because a child, 3rd grade, claimed this teacher touched him inappropriately. The child described in great detail a horrible act, which got all the parents (just like the people here) all riled up.

Unfortunately, over 15 other classmates and two teacher aides came forward to report the he was lying. This is what this child was saying over recess, "I hate that teacher and I am going to get her fired. It's easy to get any teacher in trouble. All you have to do is say that the teacher touched your privates. We should do it to Mrs. <name> too." Then this boy went on to describe a detailed sex act that another girl should tell her parents and the police about the other teacher. Luckily, this girl had some morals and refused to lie. When questioned, the boy actually admitted to lying and said he did it because the original teacher gave him "too much homework" and he hates homework . . . that's right, homework was the reason he tried to ruin her career.

People don't realize how smart kids really are. They know more about the laws than parents give them credit for.

I live in the state that some of you are bashing.. I will ask you this:

Please put the state you live in under your statement that you claim Calif is a cesspool, wacked, or whichever adjective you choose. Lets see your state have no stones. THEN and only then will you have a right to say Calif is the only state that needs a boarder around so we wont rub off onto yours. By the way... STOP VISITING US TOO, we don't want your negative attitude here either!!

Tired of people that blame everyone else. Things happen ALL ACROSS THE USA not just Calif. California gets noticed more because we have so much. I do agree that we as a WHOLE NATION are MESSED up, not just one state!!! As for Regan, we started him out as Gov'nr but the WHOLE USA elected him President!!

If this ariticle is even 1/2 true I believe we as a society will step up and castrate him approprtly but lets wait to see how this story progresses, there is ALWAYS 2 sides to things. I just cant imagine my 2nd grader not coming home and saying... Mommy, today, Billy and Gina did something way bad...I smell a rat and I hope it is not the teacher... if it is... we know where the poisen is.

As a true California lover, born and raised here, STOP PICKING ON US! We live breath and bleed just like your state!!! (ok maybe with more sunshine but thats about it! lol)

Nowhere in that article does it say the teacher was either a male or female. So if you people say anything other than " the teacher " you are already showing your personal bias and anything political after that will be read with great doubt as to any credibility on your part.

The article says the teacher was present. That doesn't mean they just sat there and watched. They could have been at their desk, but unable to see what was going on in the back of the room. I have no idea about the layout of the classroom.

I would imagine the other students would have made some sort of commotion, but again, they may have been out of their view.

With the limited info we have, I can hardly draw the conclusions that many of you guys seem certain about.

HonestyCounts1 -

They are just jealous. I have been all over America and not one state can compare to Cali. They love to bash us . . . but I laugh knowing that when they are done, they have to go shovel snow out of their driveway for an hour. Meanwhile, we are enjoying nice 70 degree winter weather and bright sunshine. The beach has been exceptionally nice lately.

Or maybe they live in a state like Texas where the ONLY thing to do in their town is watch highschool football. LOL. How pathetic is it that their biggest form of entertainment is a highschool sport? Talk about a depressing life, no wonder they are so angry on here.

Oh, but we tried to legalize pot . . . oh no. The people who get drunk, drive home and beat their wives are judging pot smokers. I'd rather deal with someone who is high rather than an idiot drunk from the "Bible belt" trying to start a fight with someone over their skin color. But hey, picking fights with brown people is perfectly "ok" . . . being calm on weed is the real problem. *rolls eyes*

But you bring up a valid point, they love to bash Cali and then flock here in droves on vacation. I can't go to a beach in the summer without hearing some moron redneck say, "Well gee golly . . . I ain't never seen that much water. Yeee Haaa." Or they save up for years to drag their annoying family to Disneyland over the holidays. Obviously they hate California, they keep coming back here. LOL

I believe it. I know a nurse that has told me several stories about elementary school age girls she has seen in person that have been pregnant. She said some of the little girls didn't even know what caused it. The kids' bodies are old enough for sex but mentally they aren't. They see all kinds of sex on TV and cable and think if adults are doing it then it must be okay. Plus the adults seem to be enjoying all the rubbing and contact so it must be fun. They are just copying what they see adults doing. It's not their fault. It's the fault of idiot parents that don't care enough to monitor what their kids see on TV and teach their children about sex in an appropriate time and manner. The teacher was probably like the idiot parents hoping that if he/she buried their head in the sand that the nudity and sex didn't really happen.

The facts on this investigation aren't in yet. The teacher has been suspended, which is appropriate considering the weight of the alleged events that occurred in his/her classroom. CPS will likely be called in to investigate the home lives of the children involved. This will take some time, so grab a seat, a box of popcorn and tune into Nancy Grace so that you can watch every single solitary sordid moment of this revolting story as it unfolds.

These kids are in the 2nd grade. . .that makes them roughly 7 -8 years of age. I've got news for all of you Puritans & other people who don't remember being a wee tiny lad or lass: Private parts are of the UTMOST interest to children that age, as is exploration and inquiry about anatomical differences. It is not aberrant behavior, it's NATURE!

As to the claim that a couple of the kids engaged in oral sex, or attempted to, I have absolutely no idea how a child of such tender years would have any idea about what that is and/or how to go about engaging in it. I could assume a whole LOT of things about their home lives, familial & environmental influences, but we'll just have to wait until the investigation is complete to know anything about this part of the story.

To those who can't believe it. . .I can't believe YOU can't believe it! We're not living in the time of Leave it to Beaver (no pun intended). We're WAAAAY past any accepted norms or expectations as to the "typical" or "normal" family structure and lifestyle. The whole "Wonderland" of childhood is a thing of the past, and may only be a shell of itself in homes where both parents are actively involved in their children's lives from birth to adulthood. Once your children walk out that front door and out of your direct influence, all bets are off these days. Who KNOWS what your kids see on a day to day basis via Internet, cable television, movies, etc., and, ESPECIALLY, when in the company of older kids who enjoy the whole shock & awe aspect of that sort of discovery. In other words, GET REAL!

Take a walk around the school, turn on a cartoon or two, watch Family Guy or The Simpsons or American Dad, listen to a few tunes outside of your genre and more in tune with the genre of youth, listen to a few conversations between kids, get your hands on a few of their texts, browse their computers and play their Xbox or Wii games. . what do YOU see??? You're probably NOT going to like it! In other words, GET REAL!

I'm sickened by this story. It's horrifying. But can I say I'm surprised? No, I cannot say that. I just hope and pray that it's not as ugly in the final analysis as it is at first glance. God help us and protect the children.

PuddleDuck

"Rob in Warwick NY

ummmmm....I'm sorry, but I absolutely cannot believe this is true, and until I see just a tad bit more information, I'm not buying."

This is what happens when you teach "abstinence-only" sex education.

riiiiight. let's follow your lead and give them condoms, a pint of Nighttrain, a joint and some porn. problem solved.

Sadly, I absolutely can believe this happened! Consider, several years ago, the definition of "sex" was discussed in great detail ad nauseum on almost every channel on TV. The public couldn't get enough of it and it was the main topic at the water cooler and during coffee klatches for over a year.

We all like to pretend that parents take great care to protect their little innocents from what I'll term adult entertainment (for the purpose of PC, won't get into particulars). Y'know, block out certain channels, send the tots to bed before the adult hour, etc. Even with our "best" efforts, there are unintended exposures we can't/don't control.

1. All the sexual arousal product commercials which pop up at the most inopportune times! We tell ourselves the kids don't comprehend, so no harm done.

2. Trailers for various movies invariably select the most titillating scenes to use for commercials, also popping during the day as well as the family hour.

I know this happens, I've been questioned by my grandkids--along with the accompanying giggling, which suggests to me that the 7- and 8-year-olds know a lot more than I did at their age. (It's reassuring to know that today's schools are doing such a thorough job in the area of "human development." Heck, the most I got was a course in genetics in 7th grade--and the teacher never found it necessary to discuss intercourse once in the entire year! It was treated as a study of statistical probability)

3. During the year plus, we were all discussing and debating, at great length and in great detail, just what constituted SEX. I was admazed at how often kids were in the room, parents completely unaware that their little tots were hanging on every word! It reminded of a period years (and years) ago; I was the only divorced woman in a building of 12 apartments. Moms cleaned their homes, then brought the kids to mine to play (to preserve the neatness, I presume) and the topics I had to ban from the kitchen table are too numerous (and blush provoking) to mention. The kids were all playing 4 feet away, for cryin' out loud. Sadly, times have gotten worse.

4. New programming. Whenever there's a sexual scandal, it headlines the opening of the news. Here's a few: a) pregnancy pacts, b) 13-year-old girls performing oral sex in the hallways (and defending their acts on the premise that oral sex isn't "sex."), c) the type of sex performed in whatever is the scandal of the day; d) the new trend of having sex in a car in a parking lot with the express purpose of being seen by others.

5. TV programming. 2 1/2 Men, sexploitation with what was (initially) a 12-year-old boy (approx.) right in the middle of all this chit-chat; Will & Grace, gender friendly but overflowing with not-well-hidden sexual innuendo and insinuation. And these shows, and others like them, are in reruns during the daytime; young parents are watching and so are their little ones.

TV documentaries on the topic of sex--the history of.; taboos; trans-sexualism vs. transgender. These topics and others are all discussed openly and tolerantly--again, often in great detail. And, after the first late night broadcast, are syndicated and replayed during the daytime, sometimes right after an episode about dinosaurs (which little Frankie was just watching).

Open sexuality pervades our airwaves, our music, our conversation. Most parents are oblivious to just how much Johnny and Jeannie understand of their casual conversation with friends.

And, to top it all off, the kids are being taught a lot more than the basics of procreation in health ed classes these days (in yet another lame attempt to stem teenage pregnancies. All our other programs have worked so well, haven't they??!!). And, these 14-year-olds are going home and yakking their heads off with their friends--in front of the kid brother! Perhaps, sometimes, with the "nyah, nyah, nyah; I know something you don't know!!" followed by an in-depth lecture on the intricacies and varieties of sexual expression!

Social Services are well aware of what's going on. There are currently discussions about bringing sex ed into the kindergarten classroom--complete with instructions on "self comforting!"

Today, sex is seen as a recreational activity, rather than an expression of affection between two adults. And, "open and honest" discussions are are pursued in much the same way people exchange recipes, or discuss how to take two strokes of your golf game. I'm not the least bit surprised to read that little kids are "playing sex" in much the same way they play dodge ball or play soccer or skip rope.

Just reflect on the last 30 years; I saw it coming in the '80s and it's finally here. (I had hoped I'd be in the grave before I'd have to witness such goings on with the great grandkids, but I'm afraid I'm doomed to a long and disappointing life.)

thank you Thought from Calif....it never suprises me who many people say.. "Oh, you live in California" they watch wayyyy too much TV and read articles on movie stars and beverly hills. We are not all from Beverly Hills or Hollywood!! Thanks again for having my back!!!!

@Indy Patriots, I agree with you. I cannot stand those parents who try and sugarcoat sex when they teach their kids, or worse, parents who don't teach them at all. But the worst of all, is when they try and substitute "the talk" with some puberty book....that is what pisses me off, because you don't leave a teenager or young child going through adolescence to navigate through a book with a bunch of pictures and words they don't know all by themselves. And it only makes them afraid to come to you with their problems, if they know you don't want to talk about it.

Aside from that, how could the teacher just watch what was happening and not tell anyone? Why were such little kids doing this? Usually young kids don't behave like that unless they've been abused, and I hope that is not the case.

@Asknrecieve, I also agree with you. Exploring their bodies is natural at this point in their lives, and people need to stop the damn shame stigma attached to it. I've heard of girls who've been backhanded across the face and called "slut" by their mothers who catch them masturbating, and punished and yelled at. I know a guy whose mother called him a "pig who needs therapy". That's wrong. People need to wake up and realize that it's not the 1940's anymore. You don't sweep things under the rug, you talk about them with your kids.

I sure hope these kids weren't taught this kind of behavior by some pedophile though.

Rob

I checked another source because I was flabbergasted over this story too.

Unlike most news organizations, I trust CBS.

Here is the story on KCBS in San Fran's website:

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/01/21/oakland-2nd-graders-reportedly-engage-in-sex-acts-teacher-suspended/

Exploring bodies is one thing.

Oral sex is another. Their parents need to learn how to shut the door.

@Jessica-1170252 said...(bold italics are mine)
Im trying to wrap my brain around a teacher instructing all his students to undress, and none of them told their parents.

Please copy and paste the part of the article that states this. Why are you making this up? People like you that only read part of the story and then blow it up like this are the reason the media print half stories like this. You do the marketing for then by making up your own conclusions to what happened. This is why we no longer have journalists, we have sensationalists who write for news agencies. Reading comprehension...try it out.

Ok and Thoughts from Cali and HonestyCounts.....I live in Washington. I've been to many of our great states, including California. The folks saying bad things are justified. That place sucks a$$. Over-regulated by Al Gore types. I mean, to the point of rediculousness. Only old hippies like it there.

Frankly, I agree not enough information in the article for anyone to assume anything at this point.

Could be the kids did these things without the teacher's knowledge as the teacher claims.

Could be the kids are making it up to get the teacher fired.

Could be a lot of things! However we don't know the truth yet and hopefully the truth will be discovered. Unfortunately, I have little faith in the system anymore and have first hand knowledge of how often the truth does not matter to media or even to the populace who loves a good sensational story.

As a teacher, I would LOVE to see cameras in the classrooms. Unfortunately, it is considered too costly. Cameras in the classrooms would hold teachers more accountable for the classroom PLUS allow administrative staff and parents to view first hand the abuses the students perpetrate upon the teachers in the classroom. At one school where I taught, I had raw eggs, applesauce, barbecue sauce, mayo, and pencils thrown at me by the students. The students are good at catching the teachers with heads turned for a moment-in fact one time a student purposely distracted my attention in one direction so a student in another could throw aforementioned items at me. Why? Because I refuse to water down the curriculum for students. The students were so use to teachers going easy on them and "gifting" them grades that they got mad that I actually expected them to learn so I got abused for it. Cameras would show who the good teachers are and allow us to get rid of lazy teachers while holding students accountable for bad behavior. Win-win if you ask me.

Considering MSNBC is little more than a talking head for the left wing of the Democratic party and liberals I am shocked that this piece appears almost critical of this teacher.

I would have thought the piece would have been extolling the virtues of the new innovations in a Liberal education. Perhaps this is simply one of those promised new innovations in education promised by Obama, Pelosi and their liberal / union cohorts. Sex education under the supervision of a union teacher for 7 year old children - interesting approach.

Here I was hoping the new apporach was to place greater emphasis on the basics such as English, Math, Sciences and social sciences.

I wonder which of these kids were being molested at home or church.

My first question would be, how did a second grader know about oral sex? Was it learned in his/her home? Discipline and education must first begin at home. Teachers are not daytime babysitters for lazy parents.

It is for certain we don't have all the facts in this case.

I don't know...this would make the children 7 to 8 years old possibly 9? my daughter is 6 and tells me everything that happend in class. who doesn't like who...everything the teacher says...I just couldn't believe that NO child told a brother a sister or a parent anything of that magnitude. I go to her school all the time...there are always teachers or parent volunteers going around to classes. No one walked in? peeked through the door? I do believe children that age know about sex because it's everywhere around them, my daughter has started to ask me questions and I answer them as honestly as I can and we have to talk to them about sex eventually. This story just makes me sick to my stomach and I really hope it isn't true.

IF this is a true story (hmm), your trying to tell me the teacher ONLY gets suspended indefinitely! How many weeks are in an "indefinite"??

How about fired and prosecuted!!

LOL at Jon...They were talking about when he was Governer...I guess you didn't pass school nun now either did ya..

linda....Yes it is physically possible at that age...Umm....Not sure what to say about that questions...

MRZ...He'll be suspended indefinitely until they figure out if it is true or not...They fire him now and it comes to light to be a lie then they'd be paying a whole hell of a lot more than just a salary to this guy....

A lot of this is very hard to believe (which has no bearing on whether or not it's true). Two seven year olds in the same classroom that know how to perform oral sex and are willing to do so in school with the entire class present? Several children who take some or all of the clothes off and make a disruption in class and the teacher doesn't notice? No mention of Child Protection Services being dispatched immediately to the homes of the children engaging in such acts?

Asknreceive...all the things you mentioned are things that we as parents are supposed to either teach our children about or keep them away from. "who knows what your children are seeing on the internet, tv, etc" Are you kidding me...really? Maybe you dont know what your children are seeing but I know exactly what mine are seeing. And family guy, the simpsons, american dad...WHAT...I like those shows but would never in a million years let my child under 14 or 15 ever watch those shows, and if your kids are watching them you really should check yourself.

As far as kids being curious, I will give you that, however, curiosity does not envoke actually performing sexual acts. Maybe a little "if you show me ur pee pee I will show you mine" but that is about it. And if parents took the time to explain that a girl is different from a boy than a lot of that curiosity goes away. Try explaining a little to a child and you will be amased what they understand. Let them know that no matter what no one is ever supposed to touch you in your privates, no matter what! I even tell my kids not even mommy or daddy are allowed, so they know that it is wrong. Thats what my kids know and thats what we stick with they know that the only ones who are supposed to touch their privates are themselves for bathroom and bathing purposes. At a young age that is all those parts are for is to excrete urine and feces and if you explain that I guarantee that they will get it.

Stop blaming the internet, tv, movies, music, etc and take an active role in being a parent and monitor what your children do. And yes Ive heard the argument about you dont know what they do when they are with friends and not home, then be proactive there too meet the parents make sure they have the same values as you, if not say well so and so can come to our house but you cannot go to so and so's house because their parents are too busy to keep an eye on you. No closed doors, no out of ear shot or out of sight...just be smart people really, and quit blaming everything else and start placing the blame where it goes. Teach your children these things and teach them they can trust you and when these things happen out of their control they will tell you about it.

Ok and Thoughts from Cali and HonestyCounts.....I live in Washington. I've been to many of our great states, including California. The folks saying bad things are justified. That place sucks a$$. Over-regulated by Al Gore types. I mean, to the point of rediculousness. Only old hippies like it there.

So your state preference is based off of environmental regulation? Wow . . . what an exciting life you must lead. I personally like it, keeps my beaches and mountains clean. But hey, you live in Washington. How can we compare to the cold weather and endless supply of morbidly obese women. Gee, I'm suddenly overwhelmed with jealousy. You are right, we are stuck with over-regulation, a horrible budget, perfect weather and hot chicks. I would much rather have less regulation and a better budget in the land of fatties.

What in the hell?

This is just........unbelievable! If it is, in fact, true.....I don't want to hear about it anymore.

Its Oakland, should we be suprised? They were just going over the ablowin and the ahoein class.

This sounds pretty bizarre. As someone else said, what and how much do 2nd graders know about the sex act? Are they saying the kids undressed and the teacher didn't notice? As Judge Judy would say, if it doesn't make sense, it's not true and this whole thing doesn't make sense to me.

As a teacher, I would LOVE to see cameras in the classrooms.

I'll go 1 step futher...cameras in classrooms that are accessible to US via our computers (live cam).

I'm with Rod, something isn't right here. Not enough information to make a comment. This could be just an attempt to get rid of a teacher, but from who? Just not enough information. Is this an attempt by the media to sensationalize a rumor started by someone? Everything about this story sound rather fishy if you ask me, at least for the moment until more information is released!

I agree with Rob. I want more info.

Thoughts from Cali

You HAVE to be a Tom Leykis fan! He ALWAYS talked about the fat chicks in Washington. Tom signed my rack!

As a teacher, I would LOVE to see cameras in the classrooms.

I'll go 1 step futher...cameras in classrooms that are accessible to US via our computers (live cam).

From that classroom it would be kiddie porn.

You probably believe Sarah Palin had something to do with that whacko killing people in Tucson w/o question, but cannot believe this? You are an idiot! If this happened in Dallas TX, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would be all over this. But it happened in Oakland................that teacher will probably be a union boss next week and Jesse Jackson will be on the talk show circuit talking about how "wronged" this teacher was.

Amazing.

The level of generalization and misinformation in this thread is stunning. Thanks for generalizing all of California into a little ball. Cause, you know...there are only 34 million people in California. I'd love to hear what state most of you are from, so we can generalize the rest of you. Arizona? LOL...New York? Shouldn't even be talking. The entire South? Need I say more? See how generalizing doesn't get us anywhere when discussing news stories? Come on people.

<sarcasm>With the hours and hours of research and fact checking the main stream media does, it MUST be 100% accurate, and obviously (whether there is actual evidence or not) the fault of right wing "pro sex" propaganda. </sarcasm>

All of you shocked and horrified people crack me up. Obviously, you lead very sheltered lives and have never once ventured into any of our inner cities. In Jersey City, NJ, as just one example, all 4 major public high schools have been declared totally dysfunctional in spite of fortunes of NJ taxpayer money pouring into them on a daily basis. Stop burying your heads in the sand. Do you think the Obamas would be stupid enough to send their daughters to DC public schools? People, wake up and smell the coffee!

Thoughts from Calif, post #1.67:

I am from Texas and I take exception to your sneer and sarcastic remarks. I will not remark on the ongoing story. However I do have somethings to say about your Texas comments. If you don't like football that is ok with me. However, football is the highlight of Texas sports. We do have other sports, such as basketball, soccer, hockey, baseball and more.

In addation to all that we have 100's of State Parks where families can spend the whole weekend. We just might have more lakes than any other state, where swimming, boating, skiing, swimming and fishing. The second best sport in Texas is Radeos. I capitalized it because i like it best.

We also have lots of Churches and don't mind being called the Bible Belt. Anybody can go or not go, we are still friends.

I spent a few years in Calif. in the 50's and loved every miniute of it. No state or people are perfect. Pot and other drugs are not for me and I can still have a lot of fun. GOD Bless everybody and that includes you, "Thoughts from Calif.

Football is the highlight of Texas sports. If you don't like football that's OK with me. We other sports, such as bascket

I had some tech. problems and did not catch them before closing. Please forgive.

ok, taken back is a bit of an understament in this. i would almost say this teacher had to be coaching in some form or another... just no other possible reason i can think of.

Karen in LA

Tom signed my rack!

A deer hunter eh.

How could a teacher have naked students in his class and not be aware of it? There is such a thing as abuse and neglect however much some of you would like to believe there isn't and that all reports of it are due to "leading questions" by whoever. I wonder why some people just automatically jump to that particular conclusion. I've heard people blame "leading questions" for accusations of abuse even when there was objective evidence of abuse. Why don't we wait and see how this story shakes out? We don't know all the facts.

I could see this situation being feasible if the students were H.S., but Jesus!, second-graders????????

I could see this happening as early as 5th-6th grade really. I've been very involved with my little brother and his friends. Most are nice kids, but a few are definitely showing curiosity. I've also heard stories of kids engaging in sexual acts as early as 12 with other likewise curious kids.

But you're totally right... second-graders? Thats... beyond unreasonable. Yea, the teacher is at fault here, but I'm seriously questioning the parents too. How in the hell could kids this young know about oral sex? I mean... really? It's a parents job to manage their young's exposure to this stuff. It was DEFINITELY NOT a natural drive on the kids' part that caused this. They're simply too young to have that type of chemically induced craving. Again, if they were a bit older, I could believe that they would go to the computer and sneak a peek at some porn... but we're talking about 7-8 year olds here... but I really cannot believe that a 7 year old would have the drive to do it. It's too young. There has to have been exposure from other elements on this... something to convince them to do this.

Probably exactly the same thing the teacher was sayin’. Years ago, the teacher probably would of thought she was on candid camera...

read the article carefully and do not pay attention to the shock and awe title of the article.

read the article carefully and do not pay attention to the shock and awe title of the article.

Why, is it any less disturbing?

Thank God it was oral sex not the real thing or we would have another sub-teenager pregnant. As in Idaho last year and has happened around the world for hundreds if not thousands of years. Earliest recorded pregnancy, five years old, the father was six.

For all you sub-parents saying this could not of happen, needs to remember the first time they played doctor.

For those that accuse the teacher without knowing the full story, you are right up there with the witch burners of yesteryear. "He who cast the first stone…"

The teacher will lose their livelihood, be branded as a bad person and will carry guilt the rest of their lives earned or not.

Two things have happen here; a tightly written news story went to press without all the facts. Two, we have a lot of self righteous people knee jerking comments to see their comment in print. All of this without the real facts.

To make a wild ass guess as to the facts of the matter, I would offer this. In an overcrowded class room a pair of children performed an act of sex, urged on by fellow class mates and was caught and reported by a report from a student. Truth be dammed the report was made and come hell or high water, heads will roll.

Everyone from top down will slant the story in a way to protect their selves and the person on the bottom gets booted. That my friends is the way of the world.

@romilio

And elected Pelosi, Brown, Boxer, Waters, Bell California Councilmen, Feinstien, etc.

Don't think your Democratic @!$%# doesn't stink too because it does.

Hey how about everyone leave the STUPID POLITICS OUT OF THIS ALREADY!?!? Never ceases to amaze me how EVERY STORY'S comments somehow lead to political bickering. POINTLESS MUCH?????

Thoroughly twisted. Where did children at this age even get this kind of information??? Yeah, I have to agree with those that say this article needs more information. As far as this "teacher", he needs to go on a permanent leave.

In trying to visualize this, I suspect that may have been what the teacher was thinking.

Years ago, I was working in a retail establishment one evening when a very young child was wandering around the store. The kid couldn't have been any older than four or maybe five, tops. I asked him if he was lost and needed help finding his parents. He flipped me the 'bird', told me where to go, and what to do with myself when I got there. The best I can recall, I just stood there in shock as the kid wandered off to another department.

From the teacher's perspective, maybe she was too stunned to take action at the time, and afterwards, had no idea how to tactfully address it. In fact, she may have felt no one would actually believe her and that she'd get in trouble if she brought it up. I'm sure the kids' parents would absolutely not consider their children as being capable of such a thing. If you're a young teacher without tenure, something like this could be a huge can of worms you don't want to open. You might as well tell the principal that space aliens had materialized in the classroom. The results may very well be the same in the end.

If things like this are happening, maybe the best thing would be for teachers to be issued a 'panic button' type device like senior citizens sometimes have. I believe 'Lifeline' is the brand name of one. It'd be a transmitter they wear with a button that would summon help silently and surreptitiously should any situation arise where there just needs to be one or more other members of the faculty showing up in the room PDQ to at least observe if not help take control of the room. Naturally, a call over the intercom would cause whatever was going on to cease before assistance could get there, which isn't always desirable, and that's assuming the teacher could even get to the button on the wall to call the office. A student with a gun in the classroom would be an instance where that button isn't likely to be getting pushed, but one the teacher is wearing on her or his wrist or other discreet location would probably be accessible.

Tigor - what you say makes a lot of sense.

my cousins kid used to escape from their locked house, over and over again, and they'd do everything they could to securely lock the house, and in a blink of an eye would be gone. One time, he made his way down to the end of the block, entered a liquor store where a police officer found him...and they didnt believe my cousin when she ran down the street and saw the police officer and her son. She had to take him to her house, show him the elaborate locks she had...and how he still managed to get loose...

he was younger than 2nd grade at this time.

kids are weird, and can do things adults dont really believe them capable of, sometimes.

Really? Maybe the teacher was too stunned to take action at this time.

That is one of the Teacher's responsiblities.

Some of these children have no moral guidance at home and the only place they recieve it is from their Teacher. This is what a Teacher signs up for, unless in this case it reflects the old saying "Those who can't do Teach"

I understand where you're coming from and do agree with you about the panic button but on the other hand, shouldn't teachers have training with "problems" like this??? I would imagine things like this have occurred enough times in the advanced grades. It is beyond my comprehension this happening with children so young committing these acts on their own and the teacher unable to get over their shock to put a stop to this. I wonder if teach was more of a "coach".

Grow a pair! Too stunned to take action?? Anyone not capable of standing up to 2nd graders and taking immediate action should not be in charge of them.

Excellent! Excellent idea!

I will be quite honest that when I was in the second grade I told my mother that one of the boys in my class trapped one of the girls in my class against a piece of playground equipment and beat her bloody. My mother promptly complained about my teacher's lack of supervision. You can imagine how much trouble I was in considering I had lied about the whole thing, and my mother worked at the same school and had believed me and looked like a fool in front of her colleagues. I was going through a lying phase, what can I say? All I'm saying is we need way more information about this incident before we can pass any judgment whatsoever.

the TiGor...... REALLY?!?! 

If the teacher is so stupid that they can't control the kids or know how to deal with the children in the second grade, that's a problem. But wait now we have an adult that is afraid to tell someone what happen in their classroom. COME ON!!!! I hope you expect more from the teachers in your child's classroom.

Nicole, the story is true. News just leaked that the 2nd grade girl's name was Kardashian.

Well I'm sure a Kardashian knows what oral sex looks like!

We don't really know anything about the teacher at this point, other than that they have been suspended indefinitely.

That being said, a fresh-out-of college teacher may have absolutely not seen something like this coming. I recall many of the young teachers I had when I was in school, age 23 or so, as being extremely naive. One in particular I remember had effectively zero control over her class most of the time. I think she was only there one year. There is something about young people who chose elementary education as a career. I couldn't really tell you just what it is, but I'm thinking it's fair to say they want to work with young children. Children who are too young to have any concept of stuff like this, let alone actually engage in it in the classroom.

For those who fall back on, 'but it's her job to control the class', tell me, just how well do you react to the unexpected when you're totally blindsided by it? Things you never thought would happen in a million years? Probably not very well.

I'm sure after this new teachers will be counseled in how to deal with this kind of thing. The problem is, it generally has to actually happen, first, before anyone is going to devote any real time and energy into worrying about it.

Yeah, there's something missing from this article.

I would like to say; being from Californa, that the hatred spewed against Cali is disturbing and offensive. Not EVERY person in Cali is a pervert. And before you spout that I am a pervert because I'm a transexual; I will state that I have been celibate for years; and I was raised in a christian home (of which I still hold great value.)

Stop blaming politics and populus for this.. if it even DID happen... it was one individual; not an entire state.

BTW: Country folk hating on fellow americans is just as perverse... get over yourselves.

Sorry; I screwed up again... I posted this in the wrong stream... it should be attached to the previous.

Oh Trans, I was so confused! By your post out of context, not by you ;)

LOL.. well... apparently (according to some Viners); I'm always in error; so confusion is becoming my middle name....

I must agree with "the TiGor", once again. He isn't making excuses for the teacher, but rather looking at the situation "objectively", something we all should have learned to do in college.

Thank you, Alkpaz!

Sometimes, especially when we don't have all the facts, we really need to imagine ourselves in the situation we're reading about and try to imagine how it could have gone wrong for us and how we'd deal with it, or not. Everyone likes to demonize someone we've never met, but you know, some of these things could happen to any of us. Then what?

There are some evil people among us. More often, though, people make mistakes, lose sight of their responsibilities, or are simply caught unprepared for the situations they end up in. Again, it could happen to any of us.

In many cases teachers are not supposed to touch their students. How do you handle something if you will get sued for touching a student? I have family who were teachers; fights would break out, and all they could do was call the police for protection. Administration could not or would not do anything. I also know of a case where a teacher called the police b/c a FIVE-YEAR-OLD hugged her and put his face on her chest. She filed a complaint for sexual harrassment! It was a news story.

Duh .. ya think?

And kick out the unions that protect them.

They need to have cameras in the classroom. Unions be damned!

Do any of you Dave, Mary, Zack teach? Do you think...really that this kind of thing happens that often or do you think it gets sensationalized by the media? I am a teacher and I work at a school that is not part of the "Union" but I wish it was! I have zero job security, short of doing a good job, and can be replaced for any reason...including saving money by hiring a cheaper far less experienced teacher right out of college. I am so sick of reading comments that are so disrespectful to teachers...the very people who deal with your children all day everyday...including children that are perhaps learning very disturbing things at home from their parents. The same parents that then blame the schools and teachers for failing their kids! It is a shame that instead of supporting people who seriously work their A$$ off for the children of this county we bash them. This poor teacher could of simply been dealing with another situation only to turn his/her head to see this terrible event happening or.....the teacher is incompetent and needs to find different work. Or this teacher could be a novice and simply did not have the "tools" to deal with these students. There is so much we don't know here...but go ahead and keep slamming the people that are trying to save the world "one child at a time"

Until you have taught in a public classroom...inner city would be best...you have nothing to say about the trials and tribulations of being a public school teacher.

As for the Unions...yeh fighting to help teachers keep their jobs and their 40k a year...what the heck!!!

Yeah Dave

eliminate protections for honest teachers. That's the answer for sure. You people who undermine the producers in this country gag me. You work to "compete" in a game that screws us both. They win when we compete against each other. They are competing against both of us and winning with your help.

Robbeson

that's a great idea too. Perhaps if we lock everyone down things will be ok. You serve as a useful idiot. Consider the ramification. Why do you want to teach submission to surveillance? You sound like my enemy.

rrobeson

They need to have cameras in the classroom. Unions be damned!

LOL... you perv.

Hey MSN> Why don't you give us information so this story has some creditability. I swear this sounds like some perverts- having fun with the feeble minded day-. Male or female teacher? How did it finally come to the authorities attention? You know. Information. Not attention grabbing headlines to get us all going crazy on the comments page. Some real journalistic information. I'd hate to see someone carreer destroyed as well as get jail time off an article like this one. Half in here are in disbelief and the other half want a hanging and this might be as simple as little Johnny being mad at a teacher and wanting the teacher in a little trouble, not comprehending they are nearly costing someone their life. Do some actual journalism damnit.

Sumfungi.............40K for 8 to 9 months work a year, is mighty handy. It's gonna be fun watching Utopia Land. . . . .Burn.

It's rather appalling that so many are in a rush to judge not only THIS teacher, but EVERY teacher, with no mention whatsoever of the families involved.

Do the seven year olds who allegedly engaged in these acts not have parents? If the allegations are true, what does that say about these children's home life?

And how could an entire classroom of second graders could be gulled into having their classroom turned into a public sex display in a few short months without any parent becoming suspicious?

Maybe it didn't happen at all.

Don't you find it peculiar that a class of 7ish kids would take their cloths off for one, demonstrate sex acts for two, and all this in front of a teacher and all the other students.

I would like to read some follow up on this article. It is way too grandios to even begin to believe.

G

The actions were supposed to have happened last week, but the principle did not hear of it until Wednesday of this week. It boggles the mind as to how this could be true

Joanna I can think of a million other ways this could have occurred and am not even certain it did happen let alone that the teacher is a pedophile. You are reading more into the article than is there. Don't feel bad though, people do it all the time. Proceed without facts and act without just cause. Wonderful isn't it?

I can't believe any teacher would be that stupid to not know this would get out and result in jail time. There is a whole lot more to this story than we are getting. Reserve judgement on this unless you want to feel like an idiot later. This story has to have some more to it than what we have been told.

JoannaK, while you may be correct thinking the only way for this to have happened is if the teacher is a pedophile, what if it didn't happen? What if, just perhaps, a child lied? I know this is a stretch for most soccer moms and their perfect children that you would fight to the death for and do your best to win every altercation for, regardless of facts.

Remember, most children are very smart. Smarter than the old folks raising them. We have grown so accustomed to fighting our childrens battles that we forget to let children experience life for themselves. That includes letting them get in trouble for things they do wrong. My ex wife thinks our 13 year old is a perfect little6 year old boy who would never lie or make something up, and treats him accordingly. I think this is a disease that needs medical help. Thats right, drug the busybody moms and let the fathers had out some a$$ beatings. This kind of behavior WILL stop.

Can't you look it up and use a map? We're not here to do your work for you.

If the article is true then every teacher, and every parent of every student in the school should be investigated.

If not true, then MSNBC is trying out trolling.

You can't be serious...do you really think that only liberals know how to protect and care for children????

...then they talk about the third world people being savages.

LMAO, yea the teacher can't be a liberal. I like how you came up with that from this article. Amazing.

I am a parent of a child around that grade. All I can say is the Sh!t is about the hit the fan. At least it would if I were the parent. So many questions. Watch the lawyers come out on this one.

ALL responsible adults recognize the need to protect children. I may be wrong but I don't believe a persons politics have anything to do with it.

I agree.

Where is the proof that the teacher saw any of this happen?

Richard

You and a number of other nervous nellies have accused the teacher of being a pedophile. You just reveal your ignorance. A voyeur maybe but pedophile?

Nope. an LA school had a report years ago of a large number of staff engaging in sex acts with young kids- when the case finally ended it turned out to be BS by poor interviewers- one staff member might have been prosecuted but everyone accused spent years under suspicion for nothing.

I figured that a few idiots would break this down as a liberal versus conservative thing.

And i personnal refuse to believe this happened. We would have already heard about the lynching, had it happened.

I've seen 13,000, +/-, posts caiming the teacher is a male, a pedophile, a pervert, or at the very least, a Republican. All I can say is that to those of you who do not think a child can lie...you're idiots. To all of you that don't think a schoold administrator, child-services worker or a police officer can pre-judge a scenario and steer a childs testimony to "personal-feelings" conclusion...you're idiots. To MSN for publishing a highly subjective story with no actual facts other than the school suspended the teacher and sent out a letter, but did manage to generate TONS of discussion over a half-story meant to sensationalize, congratulations...you're idiots.

Well, it was in Oakland... this isn’t too hard to believe happening there.

yeah, Oakland, the city Jerry Brown (current CA governor) was mayor of, lives in, and had a radio talk show?

rrobeson

The problem with America is un-american creeps like you and all the other

righties.

If this story turns out to be legitimate (I'm still biting my tongue hoping it isn't), I can imagine Ms. Booker will also be finding a new job in the near future. When you're the boss, and stuff happens on your watch, you go down with the ship.....

you mean like Bush went down for 9/11?

That's great, the principal is apologizing to the parents for the way the parents raised their own children.

Dirtydog, I agree. The parents share some culpability in their children's behavior.

There was nothing inherently wrong with the kids behavior. I highly doubt most of the story and imagine the kids were doing a bit of "playing doctor" if anything at all. Children that young are curious and we give them plenty to be curious about with our fears of open discussion. I do not think that children were acting sexually ( to achieve orgasm) even if their acts would be viewed as sexual by more experienced adults.

"There was nothing inherently wrong with the kids behavior."

Scottnrg, that is the most unbelievable statement I have heard in some time. I simply cannot agree that it's OK for 8 year olds to engage in ORAL SEX! To me, this is INHERENTLY WRONG! It's sickos like you who insist that the subject of sex be "open discussion" among all ages, and then wonder why they engage in acts like this. There was a time when it was totally improper and not discussed. 8 year olds were taught that it was indeed bad to talk about, let alone engage in, anything to do with sex. That was also a time when teen pregnancy was rare and STD's didn't run through society unchecked. But, hey, at least you people can claim we are being "progressive" as a society while we continue to erode. Roll your eyes at me if you want. But the more "open" we become about these things, the more we have seen the breakdown of the family, unwed parents (who usually start out on welfare), and lack of respect for elders and decency.

P.S. I'll bet you have one of those shaggy hairstyles and you strongly support gay marriage!

What I meant was that the children are not to blame and did nothing wrong. Children do things that they see and have very curious minds. Their perception of good, bad etc, would not apply here. As for the personal reference, I keep my hair very short and support marriage between any two consenting adults that choose to be married. I am not sure how that is relevant because I am also staunchly against any kind of mistreatment of children physical and emotional and have very little if any compassion for someone who harms an innocent.

P.S. Cheers!

I'm....quite....sure...he.....will!!!

In California, I think they print the sex offender status right on the teacher's union card.

Kinda like the organ donor endorsement they put on drivers licenses.

IF it happened. We have not even established that the teacher actually saw it. Except for the principal's apology we are not even certain what did happen. How many parents allow their children to see sex acts on television and in movies and think it is different from this? Unfortunately you can't fire a parent. But again, everyone is saying what should happen when there is simply not enough evidence in the article to make that determination. I question the intelligence of many, I was hoping that newsvine readers and contributors would be a bit brighter than the average person.

They didn't necessarily know anything about oral sex. They're second-graders - they'll put anything in their mouths at that age.

I agree 100% with this. This goes beyond how they learned this..this teacher WATCHED!

Nothing said the teacher watched. What is wrong with you people. They are reporting that he wasn't aware it happened, hence the lack of supervision. Maybe on the computer or grading papers, etc. Nothing ever said the whole class watched or the teacher watched. I see maybe reading time or something in the class and this was something that went on in the back of the classroom, teacher unaware and most of the class unaware. That's why it wasn't carried home in stories that day.

Thank you nxander for being a voice of reason and actually reading the article.

This is NOT a "California Problem", this is a case of LOUSY PARENTING!!.....which, by the way happens in all States, Counties and Cities and Countries on Earth!!

Lousy parenting? It happened at school!

Kids are taught to trust there teachers, parents expect their kids will be safe at school. I guess maybe home schooling is the only answer, since we never blame the perps or pervs anymore!

Lousy parenting? It happened at school!

If it's true, it's absolutely horible parenting. Not to mention the possiblity that the pedophile resides in one of these children's homes.

@nxander-Did anyone even read the damned article? It didn't say the teacher was a he or she. It just said teacher. You people should at least read a little before posting and passing judgement. This article was so screwed up that I really hope it all gets clarified. Too little info and already the teacher has been tried and convicted of a crime that may or may not have happened. I sure hope the jury is better than these posts.

Sadly, in some parts of Oakland, the kids are the parents.

Turn on your television if you want the answer to this.

Hopefully, the teacher gave them proper instruction.

That is, after all, the apparent reason he is in the classroom.

I taught 6th, 7th and 8th graders about 30 years ago for 1 year and was shocked at some of the things I heard the kids talking about what they were doing with one another at their ages. When I was in middle school we were either a bit backwards or just a lot more descrete about our activities because no one was actively talking about the sex that they were having back then.

I am not surprised at 2nd graders doing this today but it is a wonder where they learned about it. Probably watching mommy and her man or daddy and his babe getting it on and figuring that this is how boys and girls are supposed to act.

Or how it's so accepted to see Dad and his boyfriend having oral sex...but we can't offend gays anymore since we live in such a PC world. F%$^ that, it's will always be gross to see a man sucking a shlong...

how many times have you seen that happen Mark? LOL

and the non-sequiturs continue unabated....

And if the teacher is innocent, I suppose you want him/her flogged? What if this is a story the kids conjured up? I bet we find out a lot more in the next couple days. At least I hope so. This is all speculation right now and it is running amok.

Right, moron, because there are no perverted teachers, or children having sex, in the other 49 states.

Good God you are an idiot.

Also, half-wit, since you are so concerned about acceptable forms of the English language, the possessive "its" doesn't take an apostrophe.

Mark,

Good point. This jackass doesn't even have command of the English language, yet passes judgment.

Chris,

40 million of your fellow Americans can't be wrong. And where do you live? Why don't you respond so we can all have a good laugh.

What an utterly idiotic thing to say about anyplace. So just where do you live, Chris W?

"Chris W-1972087

It's Oakland. What do you expect. This is the same school district that started teaching ebonics as an acceptable form of the English language. California is in it's own little twisted world."

We know that this teacher was a Liberal, since we all know that conservatives are never involved in anything that even hints of sexual misconduct (unless they are in congress).

Mark & tombones, you are two of the dumbest people ever...Chris was not trying to show possession, he was using this little thing we like to call a contraction...you know, like "It is Oakland"....self-righteous tools...I'm not saying his comment isn't (contraction alert) ignorant, but yours (possessive) are too.

There is nothing twisted about Ebonics. It's an intricately complex subcultural language, and people who speak it, even children, never violate its grammatical structure. It may sound like ghettospeak to you, but if you'd open your mind as well as your ears, you might learn something about the culture's rich oral traditions that apparently are unfamiliar to you. Regardless, what on earth does this have to do with the story?

Yes, but the "oral" tradition they are talking about in this article has nothing to do with speech.

They did not teach ebonics: a decision by the Oakland School Board to denote and recognize the primary language (or sociolect or ethnolect) of African American children attending school, and thereby to facilitate the teaching of standard English.^[

why is everyone so fast to judge, criticize and spew anger--and a lot of misinformation?

Chris, why don't you just come out and say you're a racist?

Nevermind. I guess you just did.

Ow! My Brain!

First, the Ebonics issue was from Berkeley University and it was canned almost immediately. Second, this crap happens everywhere in the USA. Not just California.

And third...I'd like to know how 2nd graders knew how to do that? Did mommy and daddy teach them? There is something more going on than meets they eye here and it certainly isn't good.

Chris made two 3rd grade English mistakes in the four short sentences he wrote.

Where did you go to school?

LMFAO

Chris, I agree with you and the other sane people writing a comment about this. To the rest of you liberal thinking, socialist perverts try to UNDERSTAND these are children that will take a suggestion or instruction from an adult and run with it to please. This is so far over the line...would somebody get a rope and hunt for a limb. Sorry, just can't help it...it just screws up my mind when someone takes advantage of a child or mistreats a dog, same mentality!

Just because a dialect was promoted to the status of a language ("Ebonics") so that the teachers could justify teaching Standard American English by using techniques generally associated with foreign language ("immersion") does not make the tactic a bad one.

Is the dialect in Maine not an "acceptable" form of English? What about the one in Scotland? Ireland? Cockney? American South? Most dialects are identified by region, but others can be identified by occupation ("doctor-speak"), religion (the Amish have an interesting mix of English and German called Pennsylvania Dutch), or ethnicity (New Orleans and "Creole"). Most people accept Creole as a variation on English, certainly Pennsylvania Dutch is accepted as a variation on English--why do you object to the colloquial speech of African Americans getting a "name"? Does the name it is given really matter?

It was kind of silly to call the dialect a language--but as someone once pointed out, a language is a dialect "with an army and a navy." That is, once the people who speak the given dialect gain enough power to be considered a "country," then they have a "language" and not a "dialect." The line between the two is fuzzy.

It is imbeciles like you--and "Dr." Bill Cosby, by the way (his degree is an EdD, which is basically a worthless one that most colleges no longer offer)--who deprived teachers of a teaching tactic which was excellent. There is no quicker way to teach children who speak a non-standard dialect how to speak the standard dialect than to treat the two as though they are separate languages and insist that the children speak the standard dialect in certain, immersion classes (like English class) while they continue to be allowed to speak in the non-standard dialect in classes where language is less relevant (like math). Gradually, the children are taught to speak in the standard dialect in all "formal" and school-related classes.

On the other hand, tell the children that they don't know how to speak, that their children are uneducated dolts, and that the way their particular community speaks is a symbol of the group's collective imbecility--and, well, don't be real surprised if they tune you out. The Irish didn't care for this treatment at the hands of the British, and neither did the Scots. Southerners aren't real fond of people telling them that they sound like inbred hillbillies just because they have a drawl.

Of course, it is kind of amusing to listen to people from New York or Boston (with their strong accents) criticizing others for their dialects. I was in a committee meeting online once with a woman who had a nearly impenetrable New York accent who demanded to know where I was from because I had the "strangest" accent.

Again--teaching standard American English by using foreign language techniques is extremely effective. Pretty much NO ONE speaks standard American English as a home dialect, which is why everyone claims that they are "bad" at English. It wouldn't be a bad idea to adopt Ebonics-style teaching methods in ALL schools.

Chris was not trying to show possession ...

The "its" error is occurs in the sentence "California is in its own little world" not "it's Oakland." The contraction for "it is" has an apostrophe, the possessive form of "it" does not.

As for the ebonics slur, the Oakland school district wanted to offer an after hours class in ebonics to TEACHERS so that they would be better able to understand some of their students, and better equipped to teach standard English to kids who grew up with ebonics. (Slanguage tends to follow its own rules of grammar, whether it's ebonics, Texian, or Brooklynese, and those rules are normally comprehensible and translatable.) There was never a movement to teach ebonics to students as an alternative to English. Sadly, there are a lot of idiots who never bother to check their facts and blithely pass on any stupid thing they hear, especially if it helps them to feel that are inherently superior to an entire category of people based on superficial differences (in this case, African Americans, educators, and Californians).

And the children involved should be registered sex offenders for having intercourse with a minor, plus they should have to attend sexual harassment and sensitivity training.

BTW, I'm not defending the teacher, it's sick. On the flip side, my first-grade-teaching sister-in-law has stories where students in 4th and 5th grade have threatened to kill their teacher for any number of reasons. Maybe this teacher wasn't so much watching but allowing it to happen b/c, well it is Oakland and I'm sure the kids there learn how to brandish weapons much sooner than other places.

LeNora, you're reactionary. You have only an idea to go on. There is no "situation."

To help your anger, read some of the posts above where plenty of people have said that the teacher claims no knowledge of the incidents. There is a lot that needs to be verified to this story.

LeNora your thinking leads to the conviction of the innocent, we need much more information and evidence to do what you suggest. Try to do what ivanho75 suggests, if it turns out that the teacher watched that is negligent supervision, if the teacher actively encouraged or participated in this, a much more serious matter, but what if, as is reported in the article, the teacher had absolutely no knowledge of this happening in his classroom. Would you vilify him to the same degree then?

The parents picture and explanation should be put on a billboard in the area. This was learned at home. The teacher is responsible what happens in her class room. It depends upon the degree of negligence on the teachers part what the teachers penalty should be.

I've been in favor of this for some time. I think we should start with politicians that get caught red-handed with lobbyists.

That said, I'm speechless about this.

Here, here...remember the so-called retarded kid, a dependent of an embassy official that spray printed cars. After the Grand Master Cane Master got his attention that boy would never do that silly-arced thing again. It called an education through pain and rehab!

@Denissr... seriously, you're a church attending Christian? Wow! Let's face it that's says nothing about you as a person. Plenty of psychopaths, murderers and pedophiles hide behind their bibles.

And @Spartan - if this is true the teacher should be put in jail

For all those above who seem to think of California as some sort of cess pool a) You are clearly jealous

b) You have never visited or lived in Alaska land of a million perverted freaks who get away with atrocities worse then this by living in the "bush" so no one can see what they are up to

c) THANK GOD YOU CREEPS DO NOT LIVE IN CALI, we who do live here are certainly grateful that you all live in whatever podunk State you come from and please do stay there . . . we have enough evangelical Christians to last us a lifetime already.

@M.E. - Apparently, there aren't enough Christians in Oakland if this kind of behavior can happen in the public schools.

@M.E.

You have never visited or lived in Alaska land of a million perverted freaks who get away with atrocities worse then this by living in the "bush" so no one can see what they are up to.

Have you ever visited or lived in Alaska to witness "atrocities worse then this", or are you attempting to defame the people of a region with no evidence of their having done anything untoward? If the former, then I certainly hope you are OK after such a traumatic event. If the latter, then I hope you will be more careful in your speech in the future. Bearing false witness is unbecoming a rational individual such as yourself.